30 April 2009
press release
Thoroughly dissatisfied with the persistent failure of Kenya's leadership to rise above its petty squabbles for the country's greater interest, a coalition of women's groups known as the G10 is calling for a one-week sex strike. In a bid to oblige President Mwai Kibaki and Prime Minister Raila Odinga to settle their differences once and for all and begin to effectively serve the nation they represent, the G10 will be delivering performance contracts to Kenya's leaders at the end of the week-long strike.
The G10 is a Kenyan national women's movement currently steered by leading national women's organisations - COVAW, CAUCUS, CREAW, FIDA-K, TCI, WILDAF, AWC, DTM, YWLI, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake and NCWK.[1] The G10 has cells across the country from the local to the national level. The G10 is driven by its vision of a society where women wield political power, and its mission seeks to connect women's voices and actions to leverage an expanded and redefined political space.
The women of this country are frustrated and most perturbed by the feuds, turns and twists of the coalition government, and particularly the lack of political leadership by its two principals - the president and the prime minister - who have continuously shown the Kenyan people the contempt card. This is demonstrated by their apparent lack of goodwill and commitment to the implementation of the National Accord, culminating in the current impasse in parliament over the leadership of the House Business Committee. While the speaker of the National Assembly effectively temporarily postponed the near constitutional crisis in his decision yesterday, he yet again missed the opportunity to show political leadership and instead chose to run away from his mandate by making a 'safe' decision at a time when the country needs tough, decisive action to move it forward on its reform agenda. The decision by the speaker undermines once more the spirit of the National Accord and instead played towards the gallery of those opposed to the common public good and safety and security of the nation.
This country cannot continue to hang on the brink of paralysis, uncertainty, indecisiveness, bad leadership and decisions conceived to preserve an insecure presidency instead of upholding the safety and security of a whole nation. The women of this country will not tolerate and or allow its political leadership to lead it back onto a slippery journey to the country's deathbed, violence and absolute chaos! This is a journey oblivious to the realities of the nation at a time when Kenya is under attack from pirates in the east, the greedy and unabashed ambition of our neighbours in the west, Mungiki in the interior, and is faced with the hunger and disease of millions of its citizens and the general hopelessness of the rest of the country. Kenyans understand that the paralysis the nation is suffering through these gaffes and feuds will only guarantee renewed instability, violence, desperation and despair.
To the G10 and the women of Kenya, the above and following are early warning signs of a failed state and the imminent collapse of the grand coalition. The poor and woolly political leadership of the executive has led to:
- Bickering, feuds and uncertainty in the grand coalition government
- The brutal attacks and hacking to death of over 30 Kenyans in Karatina
- The elusive fundamental and stalled reforms under Agenda No. 4 and the lack of commitment towards the implementation of the National Accord and the Reconciliation Act
- The lack of an accountability mechanism to hold to account those implicated in the post-election violence, despite the fact that women suffered most through the sexual violence meted against them, among other ills through displacement and death
- Kenyans' considerable hunger, poverty, insecurity and continued desperation
- The controversy around Migingo Island, a controversy that touches on the sovereignty, space and impotence of the government in handling the issue.
We note with sadness that the fights and tussles around each party's attempts to dominate the other within the coalition inhibit the resolution of the critical issues that we face as a nation. It is also obvious that the two principals have no common vision for this country and have instead sacrificed the public good at the altar of a narrow and selfish agenda. For us women, it is not lost on us that this deadlock could easily lead to the collapse of the coalition. Seeing as it is us who continue to pay the highest price for the failed political leadership during the post-election violence in 2008, we condemn the disharmony and selfishness and demand the following:
- That the two principals respect the people and nation of Kenya by ending forthwith the little power games that undermine the dignity, safety and democratic spaces of our country
- That the president and prime minister give respect, full intent, interpretation and observation to the spirit and letter of the National Accord and reconciliation
- That the two principals show commitment, good faith, and leadership in the implementation of the accord by making the interests of the nation paramount
- A responsive, sensitive and people-driven leadership and coalition government that is decisive, clear about the country's priorities, willing to sacrifice individual ambition for the greater good of the nation and which represents a force that inspires confidence among the country's people
- That the reform agenda be fast tracked and given priority over all else
- That Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka step aside and refuse to allow himself be used to defeat the good intentions of the National Accord.
CALL TO ACTION
The G10 will in the next seven days deliver for signature performance contracts to the president and prime minister outlining our expectations as women and as equal shareholders of Kenya. Failure by the two to sign will be seen as confirmation of the presumed lack of commitment, bad faith and contempt for the people of Kenya of these principals.
Indeed, extra ordinary situations call for extra ordinary measures and the G10 call upon the women of Kenya to go on a sex boycott in order to protest against poor and woolly leadership and to demand that the two principals take control and lead this country to its desired destiny. Such a sex boycott is to take place with effect from today - 29 April 2009 - and to continue for the next seven days.
Signed by:
Patricia Nyaundi - executive director, FIDA
Debra Okumu - executive director, Caucus
Carol Angengo - executive director, TCI
Rukia Subow - national chairperson, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake
Faith Kasiva - GMI
Jelioth Karuri - vice chairperson, Maendeleo Ya Wanawake
Ann Njogu - executive director, CREAW
Rosemary Okello - executive director, AWC
Fatma - National Council Women of Kenya
Tabitha Njoroge - executive director, WILDAF
Mary Njeri - executive director, COVAW
Kathambi Kinoti - Young Women Leadership Institute
* Please send comments to editor@pambazuka.org or comment online at http://www.pambazuka.org/.
NOTES
[1] The Coalition of Violence Against Women (COVAW), CAUCUS for Women Political Leadership (CAUCUS), Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW), Federation of Women Lawyers Kenya (FIDA-K), Tomorrow's Child Initiative (TCI), Women in Law and Development (WILDAF), African Women and Child Features (AWC), Development Through Media (DTM), Young Women Leadership Institute (YWLI), Maendeleo Ya Wanawake and the National Council of Women in Kenya (NCWK).
Read comments. Write your own.
Copyright © 2009 Fahamu. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections — or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
AllAfrica aggregates and indexes content from over 125 African news organizations, plus more than 200 other sources, who are responsible for their own reporting and views. Articles and commentaries that identify allAfrica.com as the publisher are produced or commissioned by AllAfrica.
What a blast, man!
Great post!
Man, there will a blast at the infamous beaches; the ladies of the night and the concubines should egg'em on to extend the strike for a month, then another month, then for many months thereafter.
By the way, is the G10's "call" legal under Kenyan family law? An creative argument would be that the G10's "call," where followed by married women, supplies the predicate for divorce proceedings by their husbands under the theory of "emotional abuse."
After the G10, the C10, i.e. the "Church" should toe the line, refusing to open their doors to their flock.
Thereafter, the E10 ("Entertainers") should follow. No, that would not fit, since "entertainers" are paid.
Far more effective would be the "birthday clothes" protest. Divorce royale, which would make the ladies of the night and the concubines even happier.
The theater of the absurd, you suppose?
Excellent posts from the previous two commentators. I have said this in a previous post and I repeat it look like the only way a woman can induce political change or get the attention of their spouse or the male leaders is by SEX. How is any society going to take Kenya women seriously with this pathetic move.
"This pathetic move" will be applauded by Kenyan ladies of the night.
Soon, plane loads of them will land in Nairobi from Dubai, where they are slaves of their Dubai based "sponsors."
At least in Kenya, they won't have to pay for the cost of a visa to the "playground" of the Middle East.
A Kenyan entrepreneur could make a killing by visiting the YORK HOTEL in Dubai, liberate the fine Kenyan ladies there by paying off their bosses, fly them home, and ...
That will quickly put the G10 out of 'business', since the men won't be asking for any.
I was very excited to learn of the sex strike initiated by the women of Kenya. It reminded me of the play "LYSISTRATA" by Aristophanes. But I was saddened to see that the strike would last only one week. I was hoping that there would be a permanent sex strike until the men comply. Men can weather one week of sexlessness,but the thought of a permanent ban is very unbearable news. Nem will not respond to a week of abstenance, but forever; NO!!! Something will have to give. A one week ban on sex is not serious. A permanent ban means that the women of Kenya are serious. Women can change the world by withholding sex until men do what is right.
It is wonderful that the Kenyan women have the audacity to demand change from their corrupt husbands currently looting the Kenyan Treasury and appoiniting their friends to Key Parastatal boards and important government positions. Just wondering, have the Kenyan Prostitues signed on to this charade. Are these women's husbands spending their hard stolen money on the prostitues rather than bringing the loot home. Street ladies wont complain, they will be able to share their wares and maybe a little more with the unfortunate husbands....how silly is this?